White House Waives Federal Ethics Laws So Bill Shine Can Meet With His Former Colleagues At Fox News

It is “in the public interest” for the White House’s top communicator to be excused from federal ethics laws so he can meet with Fox News, according to President Donald Trump’s top lawyer.

Bill Shine, Trump’s newly minted communications director, and Larry Kudlow, the White House’s top economist, who worked at CNBC before his White House post, have both been excused from provisions of the law, which seeks to prevent administration officials from advancing the financial interests of relatives or former employers.

Including Shine and Kudlow, the White House has granted a total of 20 waivers to provisions of various federal ethics laws and the ethics pledge that President Trump instituted by executive order the week he took office. Federal agencies have granted many more such waivers.

“The Administration has an interest in you interacting with Covered Organizations such as Fox News,” the memo says. “[T]he need for your services outweighs the concern that a reasonable person may question the integrity of the White House Office’s programs and operations. I have determined that it is appropriate and in the public interest.”

The Shine development gives new depth to the connotations of the White House’s cozy relationship with Fox News. Before this news came out, political observers raised eyebrows last week when Sean Hannity gave his entire Friday show to Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Jay Sekulow.